Perino joked reporters are no longer able to wear shoes to press conferences.

(CNN) - Who knew being White House press secretary was such a dangerous job?

While President Bush emerged from the weekend's now-infamous shoe attack in Iraq without a scratch, press secretary Dana Perino appears to be a little worse for wear.

Perino was sitting to the side of the president when an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at him Sunday. She was inadvertently hit by a microphone as the president's Secret Service agents responded and officials scrambled to wrestle the journalist to the ground.

soundoff(478 Responses)

B

I cannot believe those in America who are cheering for the guy who threw the shoe. My god Joe, I don't like Bush either but Bush is still our freaking president of the United States. Would you have liked him to be killed? Give some respect to the position and to our country. Our president was attacked on foreign soil. Or would you rather join Syria and Saudi Arabia in their jubilation? I only like constructive criticism, not violent criticism which most Iraqi insurgents and rebels are more apt to do these days. Why don't you go join them in their seemingly endless violent rebellion and anarchy Joe?

December 16, 2008 02:16 pm at 2:16 pm |

Farrell, Houston, Tx

Perino has been a strong advocate and protector of Bush and he ducked and let the shoe hit her. He's been ducking for 8 years so what's new.

December 16, 2008 02:17 pm at 2:17 pm |

Douglas

This is what I have to say about the shoe thrower.

As MLK once said, "I submit that an individual who breaks the law that conscience tells him is unjust and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for law."

The shoe thrower was standing up for his people and his nation against an imperialist occupation. Bush is a war criminal and if the law won't judge him, then the people should.

December 16, 2008 02:17 pm at 2:17 pm |

Barnhardt in NC

I always worried that Dana's pretty exterior belied a cold hearted robot on the inside that she really is. This is an attempt to rectify that situation.

December 16, 2008 02:17 pm at 2:17 pm |

MJHS1967

WOW...this is the kind of news that would eventually put FOX News and the GOP out of their misery!!! Rove-oveR and good riddance 🙂

December 16, 2008 02:17 pm at 2:17 pm |

tina

wow she once again has to take one for the team..............

December 16, 2008 02:18 pm at 2:18 pm |

Saidu Awak

I think it was hilarious. Imagine Iraq getting the boot. Now so did the U.S. from Iraq.

December 16, 2008 02:19 pm at 2:19 pm |

Anna

I think all the media who is trying to show that guy as a bad guy and Bush gave freedom and all those nonsense, should start respecting peoples emotions. Nobody in Iraq is happy with that so called freedom Bush gave. If I were in that guys position I would have not thrown shoe but definitly expressed my upset with Bush. Can any one of you imagine a so called freedom which cost you whole family.

Please open your eyes and stay on the ground and think. Whole world is upset on our country role in the world. no one is happy, and Bush policies created more enemies than friends. True World leader work for world's best but not self interest.

If Bush were really so concerned about the peoples freedom, why dont he free mayanmar, why dont he free tibet, why didn't he freed Pakistan from Mushraff military govt. and Bin laden safe heaven. Why dont he free somalia, darfur....whom he is fooling. You can fool one time, two time but not every time.

December 16, 2008 02:21 pm at 2:21 pm |

Doug, New Jersey

Liberals are pacifists but they encourage, support and many engage in attacking and killing anyone who hasn't sipped the Obama kool-aid and doesn't live a life based on emotional hatrid, dishonesty and anger.

Lib men will make sexist remarks about how women like her deserve a black eye and so called womens groups like NOW will fully support those comments and those who make them. Same goes for NAACP and black republicans, GLAD and gay republicans and so on. If you are proud to support democrats than it is clear what type of person you are, just please don't reproduce for the good of our planet, thank you.

December 16, 2008 02:21 pm at 2:21 pm |

Marie

Too bad it wasn't the shoe bomber!

December 16, 2008 02:23 pm at 2:23 pm |

Gene

First, I agree with the domestic violence thing.. I didn't see her anywhere near Bush during the incident. That's as bad as the women with black eyes saying the fell or hit their head on a doorknob.

Second... the man throwing the shoe is what we strived for in Iraq. A democracy will never work as long as the population of the country is afraid of the government and afraid to let their voices be heard. That's why democracy won't work there now.. because it doesn't matter if a person there is elected, or they're appointed... as long as the people fear their government, the country will be ran like a dictatorship.

The guy who threw the show just threw the proverbial first seed of a true democracy.. but Iraq has a long way to go before they can truly be a democratic state.. it will take many years.

December 16, 2008 02:23 pm at 2:23 pm |

A step forward

Better shoes than bombs.

December 16, 2008 02:24 pm at 2:24 pm |

Matt

@ Chi Town

By that reasoning, Bush has only himself to blame for making it possible for the guy to throw his shoes at a press conference. Not sure I'd want to follow that line of reasoning and be giving credit to Bush for "freeing" Iraq. They won't be free until we've left and their country isn't half destroyed...and they'll certainly be shackled with the memory of all the loved ones they lost as a result of us throwing their country into anarchy.

December 16, 2008 02:25 pm at 2:25 pm |

walt

why is this guy being hailed as a hereo, I for one think what he did was very rude, and I think he is a jerk and should rot in jail.

December 16, 2008 02:25 pm at 2:25 pm |

Meh

florida girl> Who is he to do that? Um. W's policies have directly influenced this man's country. 1000's of his countrymen (and women and children) have been killed. All for lies and greed. He has every right to show his "disrespect".

December 16, 2008 02:27 pm at 2:27 pm |

Amanda

Since when is violence ever okay? It doesn't matter what your feelings are about the President – it's not okay. It could have been anyone up there. How can you rejoice in such an act?

December 16, 2008 02:27 pm at 2:27 pm |

Eddie B.

Don't kill the messenger. Man!

December 16, 2008 02:28 pm at 2:28 pm |

Ken in Dallas

At least Jim Brady wasn't injured by the Secret Service.

By the same token, we all know Bush has earned that kind of reprisal. I think the quote went something like: "This is your goodbye kiss from all the widows and orphans you made in Iraq."

If we take exception to the loafer launcher for disrespect to the presidency, we take the responsibility for all those widows and orphans from Bush's shoulders onto our own. I say let Bush have that. He earned it.

December 16, 2008 02:30 pm at 2:30 pm |

chuck

THIS IS WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU ARE PART OF A WASTWFUL GANG OF BANDITS. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME THE COST OF THE UNWANTED TRIP TO IRAQ? WHY DID GEORGE BUSH GO TO IRAQ? HE IS A LAME DUCK JUST WASTING TIME AND MONEY. WHEN WILL THIS DUCK STEP DOWN?

December 16, 2008 02:30 pm at 2:30 pm |

patNY

Like Jesse Jackson who smeared MLKjr's blood on his own shirt to look like he was in the middle of it all, Perino purposefully bashed her head on a chair to look like she took a shoe for the president! How pathetic!

December 16, 2008 02:30 pm at 2:30 pm |

shaun

florida girl wrote:
"We protest all the time in our Country over things and don't resort to disrespecting the Pres in such a way."

What you say is true for 'our country' and our president. but for the guy it was our country and their president....if I try to visualize the same situation for my country, its hard to blame him isnt it?

December 16, 2008 02:31 pm at 2:31 pm |

patNY

Perino's wounds were self inflicted so she can get attention!

December 16, 2008 02:31 pm at 2:31 pm |

TyWebb

Will she be Tom Cruise's stand-in in his upcoming movie?

December 16, 2008 02:31 pm at 2:31 pm |

Kpawlak

To you bush hating bloggers who think it's great that the shoe was thrown, I hope you are not raising offspring. Your lack of any kind of respect and your ignorance I hope, does not move any further than this self absorbed uninformed generation. Makes me wonder had that been Obama? I'm sure it would have become a racial issue and you all would be whipped up into a froth!